Dodgers Planning ‘Watch Parties’ For Wild-Card Games As They Wait to Learn NLDS Opponent
With the regular season over, all the Los Angeles Dodgers can do now is wait. They are waiting to see who will be their opponent for the National League Division Series that starts on Saturday this weekend.
Since Los Angeles clinched the top spot in the NL, they will be taking on whichever team comes out of the No. 4 and No. 4 wild-card series. The No. 4 seed belongs to the rival San Diego Padres while the No. 5 seed is still being worked out.
Due to some weather issues, the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves will be playing a doubleheader to decide the final two wild-card spots. The Arizona Diamondbacks are still alive in the race as well but they can only clinch the No. 6 seed if they were to make it in.
The most likely situation is that Los Angeles plays either the Padres or Braves, two teams that they are very familiar with. All Atlanta has to do is win one of the two games in the doubleheader and they will clinch the No. 5 seed.
But if the Mets were to win both, New York would travel to take on San Diego and the Diamondbacks would claim the No. 6 seed. A split between the two teams would eliminate Arizona entirely.
According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, the players are planning to have team “watch parties” for the wild-card games. After two straight early playoff exits, the Dodgers seemed to be locked in on putting it all together in October.
It was a trying year for the Dodgers in many ways but especially along the injury front. Los Angeles saw multiple key players go down throughout the season and their starting rotation took a large hit due to it.
The team will enter the postseason feeling okay about their rotation as it misses some crucial arms. Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone, and Clayton Kershaw are all currently out due to injury, with the expectation that none of them are likely to return this season. Kershaw has a chance to return but at this time, it seems bleak.
Los Angeles will enter with a rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler, and Landon Knack. They will be relying on two rookies in the starting rotation, something that no team ever wants to be relying on come playoff time.
But the Dodgers believe in their guys and they have gotten them through the season well. With all the firepower that the Dodgers have along the roster, they enter the playoffs with the only goal in mind being to win another World Series championship.
Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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